Electric soldering-iron.



. E, CLMNS.

ELECTNG SLDERING EEGN.

APFLlc'mxou um) Nov. 21, 19:4.

1,142,306, Patented June 8, 1915.

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aww/wiet i. G. CLEMENS,

ELECTRC SOLDERiNG IRON. PPLICAHON man 1011.21.1914.

3. f f w A o UNITED STATES PATENT oFFIoE.

JOHN G. CLEMNS, 0F BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

ELECTRIC SOLDERING-IBON. i

T0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Jol-1N G. CLEMENS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have .invented certain new and useful;

Improvements in Electric Soldering-Irons,

of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in metal working tools, the

-primary object of my invention being the provision of an electrically heated soldering iron which'will be 'simple and cheap in conupon the passage of current from one heating terminal,'through the metal work being soldered, to another heating terminal. Because of this construction, I accomplish a yet further object which consists in providing a soldering iron of the electrically heated type in which the flow of current will be automatically cut off upon removal of the soldering iron from the 'work being soldered. Because of this, all waste of current is avoided.

' More specifically, my invention includes the provision of a soldering iron having spaced contact heads insulated from each other and adapted for connection in series in an electric circuit, one or both of the contact heads being provided with a contact proper of some high resistance material which will become highly heated upon passage of current. In this connection, a still further object of my present invention consists in the provision of means for detachably securing the contacts proper in the contact heads in order that they may be renewedu in case of injury.

A still further object of my invention consists in the provision .of a soldering iron in which the parts engaging the metal being soldered consist of some high resistance material, such as earborundum which, being included in a normally open energized cir- Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented June 8, 1915.

Application led November 21, 1914. Serial No. 873,347.

cuit, will become highly heated when such' circuit is closed, due to bringing the contacts proper in engagement with the metal being soldered. 1

A yet further object of my linvention consists in the provision of a soldering iron in which the solder is applied directly to the metal pieces being soldered and not indirectly to such pieces by the iron itself, the solder, at no time, being brought into contact with the soldering iron.

Vith these and other objects in view, my

invention will be more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and then specifically pointed out in the claims which are attached to and form a part of this application.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of my 4electrically hea-ted soldering iron in use, the

energizing circuit for the iron being diagrammatieally shown 1n the same figure; Fig. 2 1s a perspectiveview of the soldering iron proper; Fig. 3 is a central, longitudinal sectional view taken between the contact heads; Fig. 4l is a front elevationl of the tool in use; Fig. Sis a detail perspective view of the tool head as a whole, the handle being removed to show certain details of construction; Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a somewhat modified form of soldering iron construction; Fig. 7 is a fragmentary, central longitudinal sectional view of the modified form of tool shown in Fig. 6, this section 'being taken at right'angles to the section shown in Fig. 3 of the other form.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

Referring more specifically to Figs. 2 to 4 inclusive, as illustrative of the preferred form of my invention, it will be seen that the soldering iron consists primarily of a' tool head .10 carrying spaced contact heads 11 and 12, the tool, in turn, being carried by a handle 13 of any suitable design and material. Preferably, the tool head 10 is formed of porcelain or some equivalent material, the Shanks 14 of the contact heads 11 and 12 being embedded or otherwise secured in the tool head with their inner ends projecting slightly beyond the tool head and tapped to receive binding posts 15 or other suitable connections for the current supplying wires. The contact heads, together with their shanks, are preferably formed cfsome metal which will not scale at high temperatures, cast ironhaving been found very Clamping plates 18 are provided upon their inner faces with co-acting grooves or channels 19 'and are detachably secured against the outer faces `of the termlnals of the con- `tact head by clamping screws 20. When so secured, the co-acting grooves of the contact heads and clamping plates are adapted to receive the contacts proper 21. These contacts areV preferably formed of carborundumbec'a'se of the high resistance which they offer` to the passage of an electric current with the result that when. an electric current is passed through them, they are,

almost instantaneously brought to a white heat. However, any other materlal which .may be found suitable for the purpose may be employed.

As best shown in Figs. 3 and 5 ofthe drawings, the free end of the tool headproper 10 is preferably reduced somewhat and externally threaded to lengage in an internally threaded socket 22 formed in one. end 'of the handle. vThis handle may be formed of any suitable material, such as wood, and in any desired shape, being pro- 'vided with a longitudinal bore -or opening 23 which usually extends. throughout its entire length. vThe current conducting wires 24 and 25, which are-insulated from each other,` being preferably provided in the form' of a cable 26, arepassed throughV this bore `and secured by their uninsulated freeends to the binding posts 15 of the contact heads 11 and 12. An insulating sleeve or bushing 27 may be threaded into the free end of the tool handle to surround the current bearing cablef26 and revent its chafing.

.Although have kdescribed each lcontact head as bein provided with a contact proper yof carborun um, it will be clear that this is' not `absolutely essential. For instance, in, Figs. 6 and 7 of the drawings, I have illustrated a modified form of electrically heated- -soldering iron in which the contact head 30.

, is provided withacarborundum contact 31 adj ustably secured in the manner previously described in connection with the preferred form of my invention and in which the other -contact head 32 4is merely formed with a notch 33. I have also illustrated a modi llied form of handle construction in connection with this modified form of lsolderlng 1ron, the entire'handle 34 being formed of wood with a metallic ferrule 35 about its outer end. This handle is provided throughout the greater portion" of itslength with a socket 36 and bores 37 are formed through the outer end of the handle to communicate at their inner endswithA this socket. These bores are proportioned to snugly receive. the slianks 38 of the contact heads and thel shanks are provided with tapped bores in their free ends to receive the binding screws 39 by which the current conducting Wires are connected.

In operation, the wires 24 and 25. are connected in any suitable manner to current carrying wires 40 and 41 leading from any suitable source of electrical energy, such as a dynamo 42. Under ordinary conditions,

the wires/40 and 41 will be electric light wires, being readily available and, when suchv wires are used, itis best to insert a number of electric lights 43 in the circuit in -series with the contacts of the tool in order to offer resistance to the current and so insure the proper voltage and amperage.

In Fig. 1 I illustrate the use of my im-` proved soldering iron as appliedto soldermg thesplice 44 of wires 45. As there soY shown, the two contacts are brought into engagement with the portions 'of soldered being engaged agains the lower faces of such portionsand the end of the stick or bar of solder 46 is broughtagainst the portions of wire being soldered above the contacts. As soon as the contactsvboth engage the wires, the circuitis closed between.

them through the wires and the carborundum contacts properconsequently brought to a white heat. As these contacts proper are indirect and continuous engagement with the wires being soldered, during the entire soldering operation, it will be clearv that this heat. will be transmitted directly to such wires and the wires therefore' suili wire to beI .ciently heated -to permit ready flowing of l the solder. Attention, atthis point, is directed to the fact that this soldering iron does not depend and does not permit the formation of an electric arc and' that the heating of the wires'being soldered is not due, strictly speaking, to the passage of current through them, but to the passage of cur'- rent through the carborundum points and the consequent heating of the wires being soldered by the heating of such points. It should 4be further noted that the circuit bedering iron is automatically broken by removing such points from the work being soldered, and that for thisreason, no current is supplied to the iron except when it is actually in use.

l When the form of soldering tool, illustrated in Fig. .6, is employed in soldering Wire joints, the Wire seats in the notch 33 of one contact head which, therefore, assists 13 tween the contact points proper of the solholding the tool against slipping from the Work and insures a steady engagement between the contact 31 and the wire.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimedas new is:

1. A soldering tool including a handle, contact heads carried by the handle and insulated from each other, a contact proper of high resistance material in electrical engagement with one head, means for supplying current to one of the heads, and means for conducting current from the other head.

2. A soldering tool including a handle, contact heads carried by the handle and insulated from each other, a contactl proper of carborundum in electrical engagement with one head, means for supplying current to one of the heads, and means for conducting current from the other head.

A soldering tool including a piece of carborundum, means for holding said piece of carborundum in engagement with the ,work to be operated upon, and means for supplying current to the carborundum and for conducting current from the work.

4. A soldering tool including spaced con-y tact heads connected in series in a normally energized circuit, the circuit being broken between the contact heads, and a member formed of high resistance material carried.

by one of the heads and in electrical engagement therewith.

5. A soldering tool including spaced contact heads connezted in series in a normally energized circui the circuit being broken between the contact heads, and a member formed of high resistance material carried by one of the heads and in electrical engagement therewith, said member being detachably secured to the head.

6. A soldering tool including spaced contact heads connected in series 1n a normally energized circuit, the circuit being broken between the contact heads, one of the contact heads being provided in its free face with a notch, and a member formed of /ance material clamped in the co-acting grooves of the plate and head.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of ltwo witnesses.

JOHN (Jr. CLEMENS. [1.. 3.] Witnesses:

J osnrn Nansen, Jr., FRANK H. KAISER. 

